


You've Got A Fast Car (Is It Fast Enough So We Can Drive Away)

by 69fastback



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Merlance, SnowBarry - Freeform, Street Racing, Theroy, fast and furious based, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-08
Updated: 2015-08-08
Packaged: 2018-04-03 13:15:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4102351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/69fastback/pseuds/69fastback
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity has watched from afar as the hottest racers illegally race through the streets running by the flat her family lives in. What happens when one minute she's longing to be part of that crowd, and the next minute she's being pulled in to it without even asking? Oliver Queen is the best street racer around but he's also the biggest player. Felicity doesn't stand a chance. Or does she?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You Can't See Me

**Author's Note:**

> Street Racing fic with inspiration from Need For Speed and Fast and Furious.

The delicious sound of an engine purring could suddenly be heard from outside her bedroom window and Felicity bit her lip in excitement. They were racing again.

Felicity loved cars. Not in the whole 'I want to be a mechanic and fix them up' way but she loved the way they sounded. She also loved the way she felt when her brother would take her out for a spin in his Dodge Challenger and exceed every legal speed limit in town. Roy was an adrenaline junkie and she was lucky she was too otherwise she would have been scarred for life after getting behind a wheel with him for the first time.

There was one guy though who knew how to race. He took part in every single illegal street race he could and Felicity always felt so lucky that she lived right next to one of the most popular start off streets. Yes, it was noisy and loud but she was always up at that time ready to watch anyway so she had no reason to complain. Especially when she had the perfect view of Oliver Queen: street racing legend.

Of course, Felicity wasn't stupid. She knew that she didn't stand a chance. He had four or five girls with him before and after every race. If that didn't spell manwhore she didn't know what did. She was content to admire him from afar and dream of what man he could be. Him getting in to bed with every woman didn't appeal to Felicity at all. Yes, it was considered 'cool' to sleep around for a man but for Felicity, if a man was going to be a slut, then that's what she'd call him. After all that's what they called girls who slept around. Why should the guys be any different?

Felicity climbed up on to her plush window seat and rested her forearms on the window sill. The flat she lived in with her family was on the third floor so she could watch for free without getting caught. Plus, she'd never fit in down there. Sure, she dressed well and whatever, but she wasn't as outgoing as the people down there and getting embarrassingly drunk or sleeping with one of the racers wasn't high on her Saturday night to do list.

He was there. In a dark leather jacket illuminated by the streetlamp he was leaning against as he chatted to his best friend Tommy Merlyn. Over on the other side, Felicity could make out the amazing mechanical duo Barry and Caitlin. She smiled as Barry leaned over the car they were working on and planted a soft kiss on her lips. Felicity loved how in love those two were. Normally couples annoyed her seeing how terminally single she was but they never did.

Sighing she turned her attention back to the racers, trying to see what competition they had tonight. A few cars looked familiar but she hadn't ever really paid attention to other racers. What did catch her eye however, was the sleek black modified Dodge Challenger. She would know that death trap car anywhere.

Steaming with anger she pushed herself off the window sill and stormed over to her closet. Obviously she couldn't go down there in sweats and a baggy t shirt. Luckily her make up was still intact from her date with a guy from the coffee shop she worked at. She settled on black high-waisted skinny jeans and a cropped t-shirt before she grabbed her leather jacket and ran out the flat. There was no way in hell her reckless little brother was racing tonight.

-

"Roy! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" She fumed, marching straight over to her brother who was currently enjoyed the petite brunette leaning against the side of his car.

As soon as the girl saw Felicity marching over she made herself scarce. She probably assumed Felicity was a psycho ex and not an incredibly concerned older sister.

"Oh hey Lis." Roy grinned mockingly at her, enjoyed her disapproval. "Came to cheer me on, did you? You're such a great sister." He covered his chest with a hand pretending to be touched.

Felicity narrowed her eyes at him. "If you think for one second I'm going to spend my Saturday night pulling my dead little brother from a car wreckage you've got another thing coming." She snapped.

A few sniggers sounded out from around her but she paid them no attention. Felicity would risk being laughed at if it meant saving her brother from doing something so dangerous.

"I'm not going to crash." Roy growled, a dark scowl on his face.

"Yes you are Roy, you're not ready for this." Felicity rubbed her temples trying to think of the best way to deal with this situation. "Look, I'm all for you racing, you know that. But you're not ready yet, you're reckless and you enjoy the high too much. I know you and I know you'll push too hard too soon. We both know what happens then."

Roy looked down at his feet grumbling to himself. He knew she was right. With that, Roy opened his car door violently, slamming it behind him. He slammed his hand on the wheel in frustration. Felicity knew he was annoyed at how right she was. He was probably embarrassed about being so easily convinced to leave as well. He drove off quickly and Felicity smiled to herself in victory.

Seeing that she was all done, she started heading back to flat. She'd meet Roy there and talk to him properly. She loved her brother and fully supported the fact he wanted to race one day but she wouldn't let that happen before she was 100% sure he was ready.

"Hey! Where do you think you're goin' blondie?" A gravelly voice sounded from behind her and dirty fingers wrapped abounded her arm.

She turned back to face the voice, pulling her arm cautiously out of his grasp.

"I'm going home." She stated simply. The tall man reached his hand out again but she stepped back swiftly. "Don't touch me." She glared at him.

"Look darlin', no one enters a race without paying." He said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I'm not entering." She said and turned back around.

His hand reached out and swung her back to face him.

"You didn't enter, no, but your brother did and he hadn't paid yet." He spoke in a low threatening tone and Felicity cursed quietly. Of course she'd end up in a situation like this.

"Well he's not racing anymore so he doesn't have to pay. You're little race hasn't even started so back off." She said simply, yanking her arm out of his hold once more. If he touched her again she was going to lose her cool.

He opened his mouth to say something else when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. Felicity followed the arm it belonged to until she was staring at none other than Oliver Queen himself.

Shit, just when I thought my luck couldn't get any worse, she thought. She had to hold back the urge to roll her eyes.

"Problem?" He asked. His voice was rich and deep. Almost enough to make her knees buckle. How did any girl survive being in such close proximity to him?

"Blondie here won't pay the entry fee for her brother." The man said, shooting daggers at Felicity. That's when she did roll her eyes. Her brother wasn't participating anymore she didn't get the big deal. Racers pulled out all the time.

"Harper isn't racing. It's cool." Oliver replied smoothly, stepping forward and pushing back the man at the same time. The man took that as an invitation to leave and headed back to the start line.

"Sorry about Jeff, he's a stickler for rules." Oliver apologised.

"Why are you apologising for him?" Felicity asked curiously.

Oliver shrugged. "Seemed like the generic thing to do,"

"Yeah well you weren't the one who manhandled me and tried to take my money so there's no need to make any apology." She said. With that Felicity hoped the conversations was over. She had broken out in to a sweat and she was pretty sure she heard her voice shake slightly as she spoke. God, she was so lame.

"True." He smiled slightly. "I uh, haven't seen you around here before." He started, his eyes taking her in from head to toe. His gaze burned her cheeks and she cursed whoever invented blushing. Why would the creator of humans put the function in?! What the hell was it good for?

"That's because I've never hung out at one of these until tonight." She said.

"Oh believe me I'd know if I'd seen you before." He breathed out as he stared intently at her. She didn't know whether he'd directed that comment at her or whether he was saying it more to himself.

Before she could come up with a response to that, Felicity spied Jeff heading back over Oliver's shoulder and decided to make herself scarce. The last thing she needed was another bruising grip on her arm before bed.

"I've got to go. Good luck with the race. Not that you'll need it." She gave him a shy smile before turning on her heel and high tailing it off the street before Jeff reached her.

She'd just made it to the front door of her apartment building when she heard what sounded like someone being pushed on to the hood of a car. She turned around started and saw Oliver with his left hand fisted in Jeff's shirt. Jeff was lying across the hood of a car staring up wide-eyed at Oliver.

She wasn't close enough to hear anything but the low rumble of his voice. However she told herself it would be nice if Oliver had done that for her and told Jeff to keep his hands to himself next time he interrogated an unsuspecting person.

It would be very nice indeed.

-

Eventually Felicity made it back to her room. She'd spoken briefly with Roy but he'd known what he'd done wrong and she felt her lecture would be wasted on him when he already knew he'd made a mistake. Felicity loved that her little brother was so easy to deal with. He was only year younger but he was just as mature as her most of the time. That was saying something.

Not wanting to miss the end of the race, she climbed carefully in to her window seat and stared down at the street below. It was quiet for a few seconds before Oliver's modified mustang flew past the finish line and swerved to a stop.

She loved his car. The classic white with navy stripes was far from original but somehow it was unique with Oliver. She didn't know why. Obviously it was modified and completely different to any other shelby model but it's whole presence even though it looked the same had an air about it.

Oliver didn't bother to drive his car off to the side. He'd managed to go way past the line anyway and had ended up in front of Felicity's apartment building. He stepped out casually, a smug smirk on his face. He knew he'd won by a mile.

What Felicity didn't expect to happen was for him to turn around in the middle of walking back to the crowd of people cheering and stare straight at her.

Felicity's heart stopped. She slowly leant back in fascination. There was no way he could see her. She'd turned off her lights so they wouldn't see her spying.

"You can't see me." She whispered to herself, staring back at him trying to see if he was looking off in to another window. He wasn't.

Tommy crossed the line then and shouted at his best friend to join him. Oliver turned back scratching the back of his head. Felicity watched in wonder as he clapped his friend on the back, congratulating him for securing second place again.

It wasn't until Tommy had turned away to find his girlfriend that Oliver looked back up at Felicity's window.

Even though she knew logically he wouldn't be able to see her, she still scrambled off her window seat and dived in to bed. It was time to get some rest and take her mind off of one Oliver Queen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New fic! Let me know what you think in the comments as I'd love to know :) 
> 
>  
> 
> PS. those of you reading I'll Love You Until You Hate Me, there will be a new chapter up soon, I'm just working on a few bits and then it will be ready x


	2. Get In The Car

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back off holiday! Yay! Sorry for the delay but I really needed a time out from everything. I'm back though and posting should be back to normal now x

Things got quieter after that night and Felicity had accepted that whatever connection she had with Oliver Queen had faded in to non-existence. She'd ate a tub of mint chip in mourning and then got on with her life. He was only a guy after all. A very attractive guy who took part in illegal street races most nights and had a face so perfect, it should probably be classed as illegal too. That thought didn't really help with the whole getting over him thing. Even if it was just one short conversation and a gaze at her window, it still felt like the end of something more.

Luckily, there hadn't been another race on Felicity's street since then so it was easier for her to pretend nothing had ever happened. Maybe they'd avoid that start-off point forever. Felicity knew that wouldn't happen though. Her street was too popular and it was a favourite route for all the drivers. Hoping they wouldn't show up some time soon was just pointless. They'd be back.

-

Roll on two Friday's later and the familiar purr of engines could be heard from outside her bedroom window. Instead of making her light up in delight, the vibrations made her stomach curl in anticipation. He was bound to be down there. He didn't miss a race. God, it was so sad that she knew that.

Felicity stared at her window and bit her lip. Should she? Last time she had sat curled up in her window seat watching the race, ocean blue eyes had met crystal blue ones and it had sent her in to a frenzy. So much so, that it had almost felt like a break up when she hadn't seen him in the best part of three weeks.

She knew it would be a repeat of that if she dared watch from the window again. Especially if he looked up at her again. She didn't even know how she'd react to that. And that for Felicity was scary. She liked control and the known. Everything she'd experienced so far with a guy that was still basically a stranger was the complete opposite of that.

She lost the internal battle in her head and sighed, pulling on a thin-knit loose jumper. It was a little too big on the neck so hung casually off one of her shoulders. She tugged on the sleeves as she huddled into the corner of her window and stared down below to see what was going on.

Nothing at all.

Everyone was standing around, some people with hands shoved deep in jacket pockets and others leaning on cars lighting cigarettes. Felicity frowned. Since when had she seen anyone taking part in the races just wait around like this? Normally when people waited around it was more animated and there was a lot of harmless flirting and frisky couples making out underneath street lamps. This was way too low key.

Still she shook off the strange feeling she had and scoured the crowd for him. Her lips parted in realisation when she couldn't hunt him down in the small huddle of people at the start line. He wasn't there yet. Maybe that was the reason for the unexplained boredom tonight.

It wasn't like him to be late, or for Tommy and Barry to arrive without him. She frowned. Barry was there, with his own car. It looked like he was racing tonight. He was fiddling distractedly with Caitlin's fingers in his hands, his head down. Caitlin's head rested on his shoulder as she watched him thread his fingers through hers over and over.

Tommy was there as well, casually propped up against his car, hands shoved in his worn jeans as he looked around lazily. His girlfriend Laurel was stood before him looking around aimlessly too. The two occupying a comfortable silence as they anticipated the start of the race and Oliver's arrival.

It was obvious he was going to show. There was no one else of any importance who was absent except him. Felicity's stomach burned again in anticipation. If this was what butterflies were supposed to feel like she didn't like it. She also didn't like how her heart betrayed her so. How could she become so attached to one guy in so little time? She had barely uttered two sentences to him and now she was fighting down her excitement for him to show up. Never mind the fact she'd stress-ate after realising she'd probably never see him or talk to him again after that night.

Felicity was pulled out of her state of despair as the intercom for her flat buzzed loudly. She silently cursed that it wasn't any quieter. She really needed to fix that stupid thing. It was like a foghorn blasting whenever someone buzzed to be let in the building.

She pressed down on the button and spoke. "Yeah?"

"Which Smoak is this? It's definitely not Harper." Mr Keaton muttered back. The man had always been grumpy. He was a pretty crap landlord as well come to think of it.

"It's Felicity, Keats. What's up?" She replied, trying to sound interested in whatever he had to say.

"There's a suspicious racer-looking guy at the door. Says he knows you and they need you at the race tonight." His disapproving tone didn't go amiss.

Felicity was too busy trying to process the fact she'd been requested to attend the race to come up with a witty reply for her cantankerous landlord. Who could want her at the race? She didn't even know anyone that well. And anyway, what could she have that was needed at the race?

Deciding that the only way to get answers to her one hundred and one questions was if she replied to Mr Keaton. She held down the button and forced out a reply that indicated she'd be down in five. It was probably just jibberish to him but she'd tried her best in her shocked state.

She threw on a pair of Nike trainers with her jeans and thin jumper, pushing aside the idea she might need a coat. It was a warm night. A last minute check in the mirror and she was ready. Her make-up, surprisingly, was still in place from her shift earlier today so it was a pretty simple procedure to get ready.

Felicity casually made her way downstairs, trying to ease her hammering heart as she anticipated who had come to the door to collect her. In an ideal world it would be Oliver, but she knew better than to get her hopes up. Maybe it was another racer who'd seen her from the last time she'd made an appearance. Either way, it was exciting a racer was here for her of all people. It almost made her giddy.

"Hey." The deep voice was enough to make her knees weak but Felicity was a master at bluffing confidence when she was combusting from the inside out.

"Hey. Didn't expect to see you again," She said with a small smile playing on her lips. She internally congratulated herself on how nonchalant she sounded. I mean, freaking Oliver Queen had remembered which apartment building she'd walked in to last time he'd seen her and gone out of his way before the race to get her to attend it with him. On top of that he'd had to deal with Keaton's disapproving glare and murderous scowl whilst he waited. Bonus points!

"Neither did I. This is kind of an impulse thing." Oliver said, grinning widely. It took all of Felicity's willpower to not clutch on to the stair railing for support. Was the guy trying to kill her? Who even had a smile that perfect?

"Really?" She said, trying to see if he was bluffing.

"What? You don't believe me?" He smirked at her as she stared at him curiously with her head tilted slightly to the left.

"Put it this way, no one just remembers where I live and finds out my name -which I'm pretty sure I didn't give you- on impulse." Felicity took her turn to smirk as he eyes lit up, impressed.

He held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, you win. It wasn't impulse." He shook his head and smiled at her as the walked out the apartment building.

"So are you going to tell me?" Felicity asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Tell you what?"

"Don't play dumb. You know I want to know how you got my name." She pushed in to him playfully as they walked.

"Oh, well that was pretty easy actually. Caitlin knows you. I don't know how but she walked over after you'd gone and just gave me your name." He shrugged before walking over to the passenger side of the car and opening the door for her.

"Um, the race is just up there." Felicity said lightly, questioning why she needed to get in the car with him when she could just walk up and watch the race.

"I think I know that Felicity. Get in the car." He said, his eyebrow raised in amusement.

She simply nodded before slipping in to the passenger seat of his Mustang. The feel of just being sat in a car so amazing sent shivers up her spine. Every single detail of his car had been thought about. Everything was there for a reason, there was nothing that was out of place, or just there to make it look pretty. She loved it. The car was almost as attractive as the guy driving it, she thought to herself.

-

Oliver pulled up at the start line and revved his engine signalling he was ready. The rest of the racers snapped in to action and Felicty watched carefully as Laurel and Caitlin both joined their men in their cars.

She almost missed the tablet being thrust in to her hands. She took it as a reflex and looked at it incredulously.

"What's going on?" She asked, finally turning to face Oliver since she got in the car barely five minutes ago.

"Partner races." Oliver shrugged rubbing his lower lip with his fingers as he waited for the race to begin.

"Partner races?!" Felicity squeaked. "I've never done one of these before how do you expect me to-"

"Felicity." Oliver looked pointedly at her and she shut her mouth automatically. She was babbling. If she wasn't freaking out so much about having to do a partner race she might have been more affected by his piercing gaze or the way he said her name.

"I can't do this." She said, refusing to break eye contact. There way no way she was doing one of these, especially when the drivers were so reliant their partners. After all, only the partners had the directions of the race and they had to intercept shortcuts to try and get to a destination faster. It was a guessing game. No one knew the final destination but normally you could guess from the directions.

"You seemed pretty informed about the races last time I saw you." He said tiredly, as if he had been expected her objections and had already composed this argument. "You'll be great, and I'm the best driver so," he shrugged, mocking his arrogance. That got an amused smile out of Felicity.

Her smile dropped though when she remembered that she was meant to be doing a partner race in mere minutes. She shook her head at him, her face showing her reluctance.

Oliver sighed, running a rather attractive hand through his short dirty blonde hair. His left hand grabbed the steering wheel whilst his right rested on her knee. He leaned over so his face was barely inches from hers.

"Look at it this way, fifteen years from now don't you want to say you had the guts to stay in the car?" His voice was a low seductive hum as he spoke. Heat coursed through her veins each time his gaze drifted to her lips. Her lips parted in anticipation but she forced herself not to lean in to him.

Oliver leant forward only slightly more. Just enough for his breath to caress her lips gently. No sooner was the sensation there it was gone again. He pulled back abruptly breaking off the connection and let out a deep breath as he gripped the steering wheel with both hands.

"Put your seatbelt on Felicity." That was an order.

And for once in Felicity's life, she did exactly what a man asked her to do.


	3. Sixteen Minutes

"You do know you're supposed to find a shortcut, not just give me directions?" Oliver asked, sounding annoyingly patronising.

"I know that." Felicity snapped back, wishing he'd just trust her to do her thing.

"Well then-"

"Finish that sentence Oliver Queen and you won't know what hit you." Felicity glared at him darkly before her gaze snapped back to the tablet. So far, hacking in to the street cameras wasn't her best idea. She couldn't find any sign of a finish line.

Oliver's gaze flickered curiously to what she was concentrating so hard on. "Are those speed cameras?" Felicity hummed distractedly I'm response. "You know that's illegal right."

"Says the guy currently in an illegal street race." Felicity huffed back. He didn't miss the amused smirk on her lips though.

"I'm not the one committing two crimes in one go though." He pointed out jokingly. Felicity breathed out a laugh and shook her head.

It was barely two minutes later when Felicity suddenly sat up bolt upright and sprang in to action. "Hard right now."

Oliver followed her demands easily. Her focus was mesmerising and he got to see the competitive side of her as she yelled out directions from the passenger seat.

He had to cough out a laugh a few times when she got a bit carried away when other late night drivers blocked their way. She was such a firecracker.

"Finish line is one minute out at the end of this road." She commented excitedly, eagerly looking out the window to see if any of the other racers were around.

Her confused frown was adorable to say the least. "Okay, we're either really late, or I've completely messed up on finding the finish line." She bit her lip with worry, squinting ahead, trying to make out a finish line in the distance.

Her head fell back in relief as the finish line came in to view and they crossed it first. Not another car in sight. Her relief was short lived when she saw Jeff heading over. She scrambled frantically, shutting down the live feeds on the speed cameras she'd hacked in to on the tablet before trying to appear nonchalant as he leaned down to peer in her window. There was no way he'd let her get away with using street cameras to get the advantage.

She looked over at Oliver for the first time since they'd crossed the line. Oliver had a face like thunder as he glared at Jeff, she frowned at him questioningly, but he was too focused on Jeff at her window to notice.

"Well, look who made a second appearance at the races." Jeff chuckled.

Felicity didn't have time to say anything back before Oliver drove further past the crowd and parked up behind them. Felicity thought about asking him why he did that, but thought better of it. The subject wasn't a pleasant one and she had no desire to dampen the mood. They had won the race by a mile after all.

Oliver got out without saying a word to her. He rounded the car and opened her door, holding out a hand for her. She took it, stepping out and looking around. A few pairs of eyes were on her, probably wondering what the hell she was doing at a partner race with Oliver Queen, but most of the crowd were watching the line, anticipating the other racers' arrival.

"So you're a hacker huh?" Oliver asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Felicity scrunched up her nose. "Hacking is such an ugly word."

Oliver chuckled, placing a warm hand on her back as he lead her away. "What do you call it then?"

"Not hacking." She retorted smartly. She silently hoped her dry wit wouldn't scare him off the way it did most of her dates. Not that she was sure this was or date. Or what she was really doing with Oliver anyway.

"Fair enough. Whatever you call it, it was impressive. I didn't know I'd hit the jackpot when I picked you up from your flat." Oliver handed her a beer from the cooler he'd raided and she took it as a distraction from all the blushing she was doing. This guy really knew how to turn up the charm.

"Pretty bad judge of character then, aren't you?" She tilted her head, wearing a playful smile.

"If tonight's anything to go by, then yes."

"How long do you think the others will be?" Felicity asked, wondering why they were taking so long.

"You do know the average time to complete a partner race is 23 minutes right?" Oliver asked, something in his expression Felicity couldn't read.

"Yeah, it's a long race because of the detour they take you on with the normal directions. Everyone knows that." She frowned up at him, unsure why he was asking her such a stupid question.

"Felicity we completed the race in 16. We've got time to kill before anyone else crosses that line." He chuckled at her clueless expression.

"Wait, did you say-"

"16 minutes? Yes. I did." He grinned widely at her. He could practically see her head spinning. "Might've even set a record." He added, just to watch her eyes light up even more. She didn't disappoint.

"No freaking way! That's insane! Oh my gosh, you totally owe me!" She insisted. Oliver laughed out loud at her total confidence that he'd never have broke the record without her. She was one hundred percent correct though, so he simply agreed as she did a little excited dance in front of him. This girl was something else.

-

"Hey, I heard you broke a record tonight man." Tommy clapped a hand on Oliver's shoulder.

Oliver grinned back at is best friend. "Sounds about right."

"Picking up that vivacious blonde turned out to be the best thing you've done tonight!" Tommy joked. Oliver couldn't help but think he was right on the money with what he said though.

"Honestly, I think it is." Oliver couldn't seem to stop grinning as he talked about her to his closest friend.

Tommy smiled knowingly but for once decided not to comment. "Barry beat my ass tonight. I swear, having him as our mechanic when he races as well is dodgy man. What if he's stowing all the good stuff away for himself? Cait's obviously in on it too, we can't trust our two best mechanics!" Tommy exclaimed, always one to over dramatise everything.

"Are you still whining about your humiliating loss to me? Quit being a little bitch about it." Barry laughed, joining the conversation.

"I'm not being a little bitch! You're hiding something I can feel it." Tommy fired back. He always was a sore loser. Second place to Oliver he handled well, losing to anyone else was unacceptable.

"I'm not hiding anything." Barry held up his hands. "If you want, we'll upgrade your car again. Cait's been working a few potential additions." Ever the nice guy, Tommy couldn't stay mad at him too long. He smiled gratefully at Barry and nodded. He definitely wanted some upgrades.

"So where's the blonde? Can we meet the girl who managed to get you a record breaking race time?" Tommy's voice boomed. Typical Tommy. He never did well when he wasn't in the spotlight.

"Her name is Felicity. And yeah you can meet her, I just need to find where she's wandered off to." Oliver trailed off distractedly already searching the crowd that had grown since earlier. He missed her and she'd barely left him for ten minutes.

-

Felicity grumpily wiped her hands on her jeans, unimpressed with the fact the toilets had no paper towels. She was surprisingly having a lot of fun. Oliver shockingly got all of her humour and kept up with her quite well. She'd never bounced off anyone else like that, except for with Roy but he didn't count.

She'd only had the one beer so far and judging by the large crowd celebrating the end of the race, she was way behind in the drinking game. So she headed to the drinks cooler to swipe another drink before she went back to Oliver.

She'd picked one out when someone spoke from behind her.

"Do you want me to open that for you?" A man asked. Felicity looked at him skeptically, but eventually agreed. She had a hard time opening the bottles herself so accepting the help didn't seem like a bad idea.

She however, didn't expect the guy to put his mouth of the top and open her beer that way. Her nose scrunched up in disgust as he held out the slobbery beer to her.

"You know what? You have that one. I'm not so thirsty anymore." She smiled nervously before stepping to the side and heading off to find Oliver.

"Hey." The guy snapped and he used the hand still holding her beer to press against her arm. Felicity stopped. "I just opened this drink for you, the least you can say is thank you. No need to be a ungrateful bitch."

Felicity knew she should have just said thank you and walked away. It wasn't that hard to pretend to take the drink and dump it later on. But Felicity had a temper and she didn't tolerate people talking to her like this guy was.

"You just slobbered all over my drink and I'm supposed to grateful? Where's the common sense in that?!" Felicity looked at him as if he were stupid. He didn't take well to that.

"What makes you think you can talk to me like that?" He growled back, outraged she had the guts to stand up for herself.

"What makes you think you can talk to _me_ like that?!" She snapped back. "Have you ever heard of what you give is what you get?"

Felicity wasn't sure what happened next. One minute she was standing strong in front of the angry stranger, the next she was bent over clutched the side of her face, the imprint of his fist on her left cheek. She was pretty sure she was seeing stars.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" She heard Oliver yelling before her but he wasn't heading towards her, he was heading towards the guy.

She slowly stood up straight at the sounds of fists hitting flesh banged against her ear drums. She was about to yell out but stopped herself when she saw it wasn't a fight breaking out. It was just Oliver landing punch after punch on her attacker.

She was pulled away from watching when Caitlin laid a hand on her arm and offered her what looked like a homemade ice pack. It was a Paisley scarf wrapped around a couple handfuls of ice.

Felicity felt numb as soon as the ice pack hit her cheek, the reality of what had just happened sinking in. She was vaguely aware of Laurel and Caitlin helping her over to a close ice cooler so she could sit down. The cold surface against her jeans was weird sensation but she didn't care.

She stared at Laurel and Caitlin, registering that their lips were moving, but all she heard was muffled voices. Everything felt off. She wasn't sure if it was shock or a panic attack that was making everything feel like an out of body experience.

"I'm sorry." She said shaking her head in frustration. Why couldn't she hear them properly? The two girls broke out in muffled protests at those two words.

"I can't hear what you're saying it's all blurry." Felicity knew she wasn't making sense but she couldn't think straight. Someone had actually broke her bubble. She'd never had a bad experience like this in her life and now this has happened?! She felt like she'd woken up from a dream land where no one was ever out to get her. 

"That's just the shock, it should be wearing off soon." Caitlin said. Felicity breathed a sigh of relief that she could hear again.

"Okay, I got that." She smiled.

"I'm Caitlin by the way." Caitlin smiled, trying to take Felicity's mind off the throbbing in her cheek.

"And I'm Laurel. Hi! Sorry to meet you in such bad circumstances." Laurel pulled a sympathetic face before looking behind her to see what was happening with Oliver and the other guys.

"It's okay. Pretty unique story to tell people how we met." Felicity commented half-heartedly, glad that although it was a dismal attempt, she could still crack a joke.

Laurel's laugh rang out and Caitlin joined in. "I like you."

"Now we know why Oliver obsessed about you ever since you turned up at that race." Caitlin said. "I told him your name, I hope that's okay. I recognised you from the coffee shop."

Felicity nodded.

"Hey. Hey! Back up!" Oliver pushed between Caitlin and Laurel, eager to get to Felicity. "How bad is it?" He asked whilst he peeled away the ice pack and gently wiped off the water running down her cheek. Felicity winced at that. Surely bruises didn't hurt this much.  
This was why she steered clear of getting in to fights.

Oliver seemed less than pleased with the condition of her cheek and Tommy and Barry blocked his way when he tried to head back to the guy he'd knocked unconscious. That scum deserved a few more hits for what he'd done.

"You have blood on your knuckles." Felicity commented. He turned back around to her, only now realising she'd grabbed one of his hands when he'd turned away.

He crouched down in front of her and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Well you have blood on you face, so we're pretty even." He said softly.

Felicity looked up at him confused. "I do? Did you wipe your bloody knuckles on my cheek? Not cool." She said. That comment egos her a small smile.

"No I didn't. The guy who hit you was wearing a ring, it caught your cheek a little. Nothing major." He added quickly, not wanting to make the situation worse than it was.

"Oh." Felicity said quietly.

"I need to take you home. The cops will be coming soon and I need to clean you up properly." He rubbed her arms comfortingly before getting a better idea. He shrugged off his leather jacket and slung it over her shoulders.

The first rule about shock was to make the person comfortable. That meant warm blankets and hot drinks. Anything to ease the initial shock of it all. Sitting on an empty ice cooler in the middle of the night want the best remedy.

-

Felicity watched curiously as Oliver drove through the streets of Starling. She knew that he wasn't headed in the direction of her flat.

"Where are we going?" Felicity asked.

"My place." Oliver said it firmly as if daring her to protest.

She didn't though. She doubted she could handle having Roy interrogate her about her face. "Okay." She simply shurgged.

Oliver threw her a concerned look. If he'd learnt anything about the fiery blonde in the passenger seat, it was that she liked to argue. Her agreeing with him was strange. He'd liked her fire, admired it even.

"The others are coming too?" Felicity asked, although she knew they would be. Keeping the conversation alive seemed like a good way do distract her from her throbbing cheek.

"Yeah. They all practically live there anyway." Oliver laughed softly at that. It was nice to constantly have their presence in the huge mansion.

Felicity nodded. "I like them. Laurel and Caitlin are really great, I can see why you guys keep them around." She smiled.

"So are you. Maybe we'll keep you around too." Felicity blushed at that. She was pretty sure the bruising on her cheeks would hide it well. Her heart felt warm as she realised how much everyone was doing to look after her. It felt so nice to be so well cared for amongst people she barely knew.

Even after everything, Felicity was hoping that this night might turn out to be one of her most treasured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there are a lot of fics out there where the guy defends the girl and blah blah blah and I definitely wanted to do something along those lines but don't worry, Felicity will get her own chance for payback! 
> 
> Let me know what you thought of this chapter x


	4. I Like It

The antiseptic fluid was the worst. Felicity hissed in discomfort as the liquid burned her flesh. When Oliver didn't stop pouring it all over her cheek, Felicity knocked it out of his hands. The bottle fell to the floor and Felicity breathed a sigh of relief that the burning sensation was beginning to ease.

He growled in protest at her reflex to the pain, but said no more. He'd been awfully quiet whilst he cleaned her up in the kitchen. He fumbled about with a small gauze and tape. Felicity knew he was over reacting and that she really didn't need that, but she let him anyway. His frown only seemed to deepen the longer he spent cleaning her cut. 

"Sorry about your floor." Felicity smiled sheepishly as he finished up.

"Don't worry about it." His voice was soft as his spoke. 

"I'll clean it up in a few minutes I just-" 

"Hey." Oliver said more firmly, his thumb and finger catching her chin. "I said don't worry about it." 

"O-okay." Felicity stuttered, taken aback by the enticing blue eyes boring in to hers insistently. 

His thumb grazed over her chin gently as his gaze lingered, then he pulled back, a small smile tugging on his lips. Felicity tried to offer one in return but with the burning sensation on her cheek having not disappeared completely, all she managed was a grimace. 

Oliver noticed though and Felicity couldn't help feel guilty as she drew his attention back to her injury. She really wanted to forget it had ever happened. Somehow she didn't think that would happen whilst she had the fist-shaped bruise on her face. 

"I'm sorry about to tonight." Felicity mumbled. Even though she was the victim, it was her who'd made everyone leave early and she knew she was the reason for the dark expression gracing Oliver's handsome features.

"In this house, we never apologise for anything that isn't our fault. Don't ever let me hear you do that again." He huffed out an angry breath and Felicity leant back on the counter slightly. 

She opened her mouth to object but Oliver shut her down almost immediately. "No, Felicity." 

"I know it wasn't my fault, but I know I should have kept my mouth shut. Not only do I not have a brain to mouth filter but I also insult people who have the tendency to hit back physically rather than verbally." Felicity sighed at what a mess her mouth seemed to get her in to. Sometimes she wondered if she'd do better as a mute. 

"I like it." Oliver said simply. His voice had lost that dark edge to it, thank goodness.

"Like what?" Felicity asked, genuinely confused. 

"You're fire. You don't take shit from anyone and you're not afraid to bite back, no matter who you're facing up against. That's a rare quality to have. You wear it well." He gave her a once over with his eyes, an appreciate expression on his face. Felicity blushed at that.

"Oh, for a minute there I thought you were going to say you liked my mouth." Her eyes widened as soon as she realised what she's said. "I mean- no, not like that. No filter. God, I'm so sorry." Her lips clamped shut before she dug herself an even bigger hole. 

Oliver's eyes lit up in amusement as he watched her squirm, too taken by her unique personality to save her from her own mouth. Most of the girls he met were too put together sometimes. They held back on saying anything too rash or different so as not to stand out. Felicity was different. Somehow, he knew that even with her pure embarrassment about her choice of words, she wouldn't change that quality about her. She liked being unique.

Oliver thought back to the first time he'd seen her. Yes, she'd been a bit unsure about the surroundings but she'd held herself well. He'd noticed her look had this whole 'this is me so dealt with it' vibe and it was intoxicating. She'd wiped out all the other girls hanging off him in the first five seconds of him laying eyes on her and she hadn't even known it. 

The protective flare had been a shock for Oliver as much as it had been for his friends but as soon as he'd seen Jeff grab her arm he'd seen red. He barely remembered how he'd kept a calm demeanour in front of her before slamming Jeff on to that car. All that was going through his mind was that someone was messing with his girl. And Oliver didn't know why, but he'd been calling Felicity his girl ever since then. 

That's probably why he didn't feel it was out of the blue when he found himself standing before her, her legs swinging off the kitchen counter. It felt natural when he caught her lips with his own, moving slowly and methodically, savouring the taste she offered. He felt her legs hook around his, keeping him close and it felt almost possessive. 

His large hands engulfed her hips as he slid her to the edge of the counter, pressing his hips in to hers to keep her from sliding off altogether. The gasp she let out at that nearly knocked him over the edge. Her tiny hands slid over his t-shirt, feeling the shape of his chest whilst he was trying desperately not to grope her breasts. It was definitely too soon to pull that move, no matter how much he wanted more than just a hot kiss on the kitchen counter. 

With that thought, he pulled away and studied her face. Her lips were the type of swollen that said they'd been thoroughly ravished and the flush on her cheeks showed him she'd enjoyed every second. Her eyes finally fluttered open and Oliver observed they were a much deeper and darker blue than they'd been just moments before. 

"I think you're mouth is pretty amazing too." He whispered huskily before planting a quick, yet painfully thorough kiss on her bruised lips and pulling away completely. 

Her legs swung freely again as he stepped out from between them and Oliver had to grin at the adorable pout she was wearing. He could sympathise, being out of her grip had his stomach doing painful flips. However, they weren't the only guests in the house and the others were desperate to see if Felicity was feeling better. 

"Come on, let's go find the others. Caitlin won't stop asking how you are." Oliver held out a calloused hand for her.

"Sure, just muss me up right before I have to go and meet everyone for only the second time ever." Felicity grumbled, hopping off then counter and grabbing his hand regardless of her complaints. 

"This is only the beginning." Oliver whispered in to her hair and they walked down the hall together. His promise sounded like a playful threat and Felicity responded by bumping her hip in to his. 

He laughed out loud as he veered off course slightly before returning to her side in one quick step.

-

It was three days later when he was picking Felicity up again for another race. She was quite proud of her appearance. Although the cut on her cheek was pretty much healed and fading to nothing, her bruising was still quite bad. Laurel had given her some miracle make up that she used for covering up a tattoo on the back of her neck for job interviews. The stuff was brilliant and Felicity couldn't even tell she'd been hit most of the time. 

Other than that, the only vital part of her make up other than her foundation was her lipstick. A bright suggestive pink had been what she'd settled on. It was so perfect.

Oliver had liked it but she'd liked it best when she'd reached up on her toes to kiss his cheek and left a dark smudge in her wake. Felicity liked it. It felt possessive, like she was marking her territory. 

Oliver had been too enraptured in her bold move to notice and that's what she'd wanted. This was payback for the reaction from all his friends when she'd walked in the lounge after their make out session in the kitchen. The smug bastard wasn't even embarrassed, he just led her in the room and pulled her in to his side on the free side of the huge couch. 

Felicity had made a silent thanks Caitlin and Laurel were there to tame their boyfriends before they humiliated her any more. Felicity had always been a private person and wearing everything on her sleeve wasn't an option. But no, Oliver had been particularly adamant to have her wear the evidence of their late night endeavours in the kitchen all over her face. 

When she got in the car, Felicity realised that this time heading to the race would be different. Last time, it had been a partner race so Oliver would have needed to arrive with her. Tonight was a normal race and for him to drive her there was making a point. A rather big one. 

Felicity glanced at Oliver to see what he was thinking but he looked totally relaxed as he drove up to the crowd gathering at the start-off point. The mustang revved obnoxiously as the crowd split for them. Oliver was deliberately drawing attention to them and in doing so, making a statement. 

It didn't stop there. He leant over and gave her a quick kiss before jumping out the car and sauntering over to her side to open her door for her. He licked his lips as he helped her from the car and Felicity knew. She just knew that he'd turned on racer Oliver Queen and racer Oliver Queen was damn hot. 

She knew that Oliver knew she was having a hard time trying not to completely lose her cool whilst he turned it up a notch. Just as she was about to whack him on the arm for being an annoying dick, she caught sight of that lipstick smudge peeking from the stubble on his cheek. She had her own little territorial thing to keep her fuelled for the night. 

Oliver was being as possessive as she'd ever experienced a guy be with her and she was finding it more attractive by the minute. Any guy that so much as glanced at her had him pulling her flush against his body as he glared at them. They backed off pretty quickly but that didn't stop Oliver from doing it over and over as they walked over to their spot where the others were waiting. 

Tommy was the first to notice her lipstick on his best friend's cheek. He guffawed in amusement before nodding at Felicity that he'd keep her secret. The others had cottoned on to the object of his amusement as he'd murmured softly in Laurel's ear to pass it on. Caitlin giggled helplessly when she saw and had to bury her face behind Barry's shoulder when Oliver gave her an inquiring look. 

Felicity just smiled innocently as he questioned her. Being as laid back as he was, Oliver dropped it pretty soon, not too bothered about missing out on the joke. 

"Right ladies, we shall love you and leave you. Adieu!" Tommy, ever the designated comedian of the group, landed a loud kiss on Laurel's lips before heading off to start the race. Laurel laughed at his show of affection and watched him leave with a huge smile on her face. 

Oliver wrapped an arm around Felicity absently whilst finishing his conversation with another guy she didn't recognise and swooped down to give her a slow sweet kiss. Felicity didn't miss the look he gave surrounding male spectators before he let Tommy lead the way to the start line.

Felicity bit her lip and smiled. She knew she should hate the constant primal nature Oliver acquired around her but she couldn't. She'd never felt so valued, especially when she barely knew him. She still couldn't believe she'd only met him mere weeks ago, it felt like it had been longer. 

Felicity settled herself in the spot Tommy had vacated next to Laurel. The beers in the cooler didn't look so appealing when all she thought of was that guy slobbering all over hers only three days ago.

Laurel must've read her mind because the brunette simply handed her a red cup instead. 

"Thanks." Felicity smiled at Laurel. She'd really hit it off with her that night at the mansion and she was hoping to spend more time with both her and Caitlin. 

"No problem. Even if it wasn't because of the beer fiasco a few nights ago I still would've given you this. The beer tastes like ass but vodka and coke will always be the same." Laurel sighed in to her own cup happily before taking a sip.

"Amen to that." Caitlin said the raising her cup.

"So because beer tastes like ass, I must taste like ass when you kiss me." Barry said teasingly. 

"A little. But you also taste like you, so I go with it." Caitlin shrugged lightly before attacking her boyfriend's lips to prove her point. 

Felicity stopped looking when Barry easily lifted Caitlin off her part of his car hood and on to his lap. 

"You get used to it." Laurel said. "It's been two freaking years and they still can't get enough of each other. It's like watching horny teenagers." She rolled her eyes but Felicity could tell she didn't really mind. Barry and Caitlin didn't bother anyone because they were so perfect together. 

"So do you race?" Felicity asked, changing the subject.

"I used to but I had a fall a few months back, knocked my knee pretty badly. I can still drive but I worry about it going again all the time you know? It's never been right after that and it can lock up whilst I'm just driving to the shops. Racing is too risky now." Laurel looked pretty deflated about it.

"I'm sure you could if you wanted to. My brother Roy had a physiotherapist when he injured his knee in a game of football I'm sure I could find the number for you." Felicity said, hoping she could be a help to her friend. 

"I'll think about it. Half of my injury is in my head now though. I have serious paranoia about it." Although Laurel looked sad, she didn't seem to mind too much. So Felicity was sure she wouldn't feel bad if she dropped it and let Laurel figure out what she wanted on her own. 

It was a little while later that the girls were heading to the finish line to await the arrival of Oliver and Tommy. They'd decided to leave Caitlin and Barry to their own devices. They were too lost in each other to notice anyone was missing. 

Much to everyone's expectations, Oliver's shelby pass the finish line first, followed closely by Tommy. The two friends bantered with each other as they got out before heading over to the girls. 

Just as Oliver was about to reach out for Felicity, a tall, vivacious brunette came forwards, grabbing his hand and stroking it with her thumb. 

"Hey Ollie." She purred. She wore a sultry gaze to match her seductress persona. 

Felicity decided to stand her ground and watch rather than rip the girl's hair out. She noticed Oliver grimace and tug his hand out of the girl's.

"Helena." He answered gruffly. Tommy had flanked Oliver on one side. For what reason Felicity didn't know but Tommy looked furious. 

"You've not been visiting." She pouted, trying to be cute. Felicity covered her scoff with a small cough and Laurel smirked at her. Felicity didn't dare look at Oliver for his reaction.

Although he seemed to be acting like they were a dating, Felicity still thought it was all so surreal. Oliver Queen was interested in her? Well, interested enough to actually take her to races rather than meet her there. He'd never done that before. Not that she knew of anyway, he had a reputation to be a bit of a player. 

"I've never visited you. Your fiancé is over there, maybe you should waste all your effort on him." Oliver screwed up his mouth in disgust at how fake she was. 

"Get your ass out of here Helena, the stench of slut is making me gag." Tommy spat. A few hollers were heard as some of the crowd agreed with him. Felicity hadn't even realised people were watching. Then she realised she was with two of the best racers in the game. Of course people were watching. 

Helena just smirked, not even rattled by his insult. "You'll want me one day." She stepped closer to him and Felicity felt Laurel grip her arm as she watched. Helena turned at that point and looked straight over to the girls. "Oh hey Laurel." She smiled. "Still feeding off of my sloppy seconds? That's cute." 

Laurel's grip got even tighter on her arm and Felicity caught a glimpse as Laurel's eyes started to water.

"You stupid self-obsessed fugly little bitch! Who the hell are you to talk to her like that?!" Felicity snapped indignantly. 

"Excuse me?" Helena scoffed in disbelief, finally directing her gaze at the feisty blonde Laurel was holding tightly next to her. 

"You heard me. Back off." Felicity instinctively stepped sideways in front of Laurel who still hadn't let go of her arm. 

"You must be new here. For starters, you're underdressed and secondly you're way out of your league honey. I bet you don't even know how to drive a car." 

"The only one who's underdressed is you. Did they let you stop working your corner so you could come here and try and get some business?" Felicity gave Helena an exaggerated sympathetic smile. Felicity was well aware of Laurel, Oliver and Tommy all trying not to laugh at her insult. That spurred her on.

"Bitch." Helena spat.

Felicity laughed at her pathetic comeback. "And secondly, I could beat your ass in a race, any time, any place." 

"You want a race?" Helena asked, stepping closer, trying to intimidating. 

"Uh, yeah. I do." Felicity looked at Helena like she was dumb.

"Fine. Let's race bitch." Helena said and snapped her fingers. A couple of guys who looked like they'd kissed her ass their whole lives came up and took her away. 

Felicity barely had time to figure out where she was going before Jeff's voice sounded over the speakers announcing a bonus race tonight. Felicity smiled. Tonight was getting very interesting. 

Suddenly, Felicity was very glad she hadn't had any of her vodka and coke yet. Drunk driving wasn't a good idea at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! I had to go back on this a have a think about where it was going. I really didn't want Felicity to just be a girl on the sidelines whilst Oliver was the cool racer guy. I really hate it when girls in stories are basically there to be a love interest. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you thought in the comments and where you think this story's going ;) x


	5. I've Got This

Felicity had yet to look at anyone else since she'd yelled at Helena and challenged her to a race. So naturally she continued to keep that up as she turned around ready to run off and get everything ready.

Oliver however, had other ideas and gently turned her back round to face him and the others.

"As much as I love your fierce side, you don't have a car to race in." Oliver looked at her pointedly. Felicity knew there was no way he'd let her drive his car. No matter how much he liked her.

Felicity rolled her eyes. "Yes I do. I'll be back later!" She yelled over her shoulder as she dove in to the crowd.

-

"Roy I need the Charger." Felicity had gone right to the back of the crowd where other cars were parked.

She wasn't an idiot. She knew that Roy attended every race and hid away at the back. For the first time since she'd known he was doing it, Felicity was glad he was here.

"Lis!" Roy exclaimed, clearly surprised to see her there.

Felicity folded her arms and have him a look. "Yeah, you come to races and hide at the back. I know."

Roy looked somewhere between confused and horrified.

"Moving on. Give me the keys I need the car." Felicity held out her hand.

"No freaking way! Get your own." God forbid Roy should part from his pride and joy for a hour.

"Roy. I installed over half of those upgrades on your car the least you can do is let me race it." Felicity grit her teeth to stop her from raising her voice. She didn't want to create another scene.

"Race it?!"

"Yeah, I challenged some girl called Helena after she insulted my friend."

"That's just so typical of you. You do know who Helena is right?" Roy questioned. Everybody knew who she was and her reputation.

"Yes." Felicity shrugged. She didn't even look nervous.

"And you know how crazy sick her car is?" Roy pushed on.

"Yes Roy I know she has a ton of insane upgrades that no one could ever afford!" Felicity snapped, unimpressed with her brother's intentions to spook her.

"Look, it's not just about her upgrades or ours, it's about how she drives and I've watched a ton of her races. I can do this but I need the Dodge Charger." Felicity pleaded.

Roy took his sweet time considering her offer, but eventually he tossed her the keys. Felicity beamed at him excitedly before planting a kiss on his cheek. Roy groaned and pushed her off lightly. Felicity pushed him back so he wasn't standing in front of the door and got in the car.

Roy stuck his head through the window whilst she started checking the car and adjusting the mirrors.

"She drives fast and dirty. Don't get too close on corners she'll take out the car and if you scratch my baby, we're no longer related." Roy said lightly.

"I got it." Felicity said confidently.

"Okay then. Good luck sis." Roy patted the roof of the car twice before she drove off to the start line.

-

Naturally, it took Felicity a few minutes to catch up on what she'd actually just done. Challenging Helena seemed good in the heat of the moment and yes, her fake bravado had done a number on her brother and the others. Yet she couldn't stop the slight twitch of her fingers as she gripped the steering wheel.

However, all remnants of anxiety left her body with ease as she pulled up to her position. Her gaze met Helena's. Seeing her sat behind her car at the start line triggered that fire Felicity had when she started all this in the first place.

Felicity allowed herself a small but bold smirk of confidence before she looked away and focused on the road. She didn't need to stay and watch Helena, she didn't care what tricks she had to intimidate her. They wouldn't work.

Felicity was well aware that she'd given the crowd the impression she had a good driving technique. Well, good enough to beat Helena anyway. There was no way she was showing herself up after that. She needed to prove to them her walk was as good as her talk.

She didn't dare glance at Oliver or any of the others. They'd put her off. However she did think it would be nice to latch gazes with those icy blue eyes before she drove off in to the night.

-

The race started off well, with Helena in front. That was fine by Felicity, she was in no rush to get ahead just yet. Not when Helena had those dodgy turns to nail. Which, Felicity knew, she went wide on.

Sure enough, on the first turn Helena went wide and the sleek black charger dove through the gap she'd created and came out clean in front. Felicity sighed happily before knuckling down again. Just because she'd over taken Helena didn't mean she was in the clear yet.

However, what Felicity wasn't expecting was for three gunmen to shoot at her car from the side of the road. She was confused when she didn't hear bullets hitting the paintwork. Although she should have still been worried, all she could think was that Roy would've killed her if they'd have messed up the paint job. Typical Felicity.

The only break in her confusion was when the car swerved as a tire burst. Right. They were trying to sabotage her. That made a lot more sense than three gunmen trying to kill her, she supposed.

A simple bust tire was all it took for Helena to cut past with that awful smile on her face that she thought looked attractive. Felicity grimaced at her and continued to fight for control over the car. It was no use though, Helena was creating a bigger gap between them with every second that passed. Felicity couldn't make it back.

No on this route anyway. That's when the lightbulb moment kicked in.

-

It was one of the most smug moments of Felicity's life as she waited for Helena to finish. She must admit she thought she looked pretty good leaning against her car seemingly without a care in the world. Laurel was her own personal cheerleader when she'd shown up first and now she too was copying Felicity's laid back approach leant up against the Dodge Charger beside her.

The guys had yet to surface. As per, they'd miscalculated how fast the lap would be and had cleared off to grab the beers.

Felicity thought it was nice of fate to play on her side when she saw Oliver push his way to the front just as Helena was approaching. What a sweet victory this was going to be.

-

"How dare you?!" Helena screeched, jumping out of her car and marching over to Felicity. It didn't take long for a couple of guys to flank her at either side.

"How dare I what?" Felicity blinked, playing the innocent.

"You cut in front, you took a shortcut. That's against the rules." Helena tried to mute her anger by talking through gritted teeth.

"Actually, we didn't agree to any standings or rules before the race started and if we did, I'd be bitching about the fact you had three gunmen try and shoot my tires out. They succeeded with one. Just the other three still intact." Felicity gave a forced sympathetic smile.

"Three what?!" Oliver yelled, pushing past the crowd to stand by Felicity. Laurel had also stepped forward with pursed lips.

"Gunmen." Felicity answered simply. She didn't dare look at him for his reaction. His temper was magnificent in itself and she didn't want to push anymore of his buttons.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Helena spat.

Felicity reached in her pocket and pulled out the bullet she'd found in her tire before Helena had arrived. "You know, my bullet here begs to differ. Now I could get this analysed but I think even an idiot could see that the trademark on it is Daddy's. That's the thing about Bertenelli's, they like to make a statement. Even a used bullet is still identifiable to the family name."

Helena snatched the bullet from Felicity's hand but Felicity all but laughed in her face.

"Um yeah, before you throw that away it's already been scanned in to the database as well as pictures of my tires and pictures of the henchmen which the cameras on the car picked up." Felicity stepped forward and bent down to Helena's level. "You might want to think twice before you accept a challenge with a tech genius, bitch."

"Face it Helena, you bit off more than you could chew with Felicity. From now on, stick to your end of the crowd and we'll stick to ours. We wouldn't want anyone being graced by the sight of you. I don't think bitch is anyone's type." Laurel had found her voice and Felicity loved seeing this side to her friend. It was pretty impressive. If Tommy's expression was anything to go by, he definitely liked this side to his girlfriend. 

Felicity, content with her win and the reaction of Helena, turned round to face the group that had gathered which consisted of Roy, Oliver, Tommy, Laurel, Caitlin and Barry. "Drinks on me tonight?" She smiled happily.

Oliver chuckled and swooped down to peck her sweetly on the lips. "Whatever you want." He whispered in her ear affectionately.

"I owe you a drink for defending my honour. You know, I'd always thought that was Tommy's job but you're badass enough for me." Laurel sang, throwing an arm over Felicity's shoulder and steering her away.

Oliver grumbled in protest as Felicity was passed around, everyone murmuring congratulations to her.

"You know what, if I'd have known you were so damn likeable, I would have just kept you locked away." Oliver grunted.

"Cheer up man! My girl basically told me she wants Felicity defending her from now on instead of me. Can you believe it? My lack of chivalry has finally been shown up!" Tommy groaned comically. He laughed when Laurel whacked him in the stomach playfully.

Felicity slipped under Oliver's arm and leant in to his scent. "You're my favourite to be around, don't worry." She smiled up at him.

"Wow, sis. Picking Mr Mustang Shelby over there over your own flesh and blood. That's how it's meant to be." Roy rolled his eyes.

The petite brunette Felicity had first seen Roy hanging around appeared by his side with his favourite beer. He took it gratefully before kissing her forehead in thanks.

Felicity now recognised her. They Queen. Up and coming street racer who was going to give the others a run for their money. Most importantly though, she was Oliver's little sister. If anything was to go by the way Oliver's hand flexed uncomfortably at her hip, he was struggling seeing his little sister growing up.

Felicity just ran her fingers over Oliver's chest, hoping to pull his mind away from it. If the dazzling smile he directed at her wasn't enough, the feel of his lips on hers was. Felicity couldn't imagine a time where she'd tire of that feeling. And that scared her. A lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Yay! Sorry it's been so long I had a slight writers block and I'd didn't want to write for the sake of it and potentially ruin the story x


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